Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-11-03
Facts for Farmers and Taxpayers.

1t is well known TO all the people of the
state, and is verified by the monthly pulica-
tions of the State Treasury, that there is
constantly on hand in Harrisburg from
$500 600 10 8, ,000, coo Of the peoples money,
either living idle in the vaults of the treas
ury or deposited where it will do the poll
ticianS most good This sum represents the
Surplus. wreSted from the people the farms,
the real estate, the labor and the property OF
the taxpayers in excess of the necessities of
good government, economically admins
teyrd.
Willie 1t Is true farm lands and other real
estate are subject to no state taS directly
they indirectly carry the burden. And
while il is fact thar the corporations of
the state chiefly pay the state taxes, 1t Is
equally true that these corporations pay
nothing of county tax, city tax, road and
school tax, which are the most serious
ltsrns of taxation for the farmer and prop
erty owner,
II any one who pays tax on real estate
will count up his county tan, city tax; road
tax. and school tax, he will soon see that
these aggregate far more than the tax on
personal property or corporate stock
To relieve the farmers and real estate own
ers. as was supposed, an act of the legisla-
ture passed last winter provided that GER
tain Inoneys now pouring into the overflow
lHL SIsLIt lItNSul Sl4OutA w 'ihNAt''a iiP'ii
that place where they are not needed and be
left with the counties where they are col
lected.
For instance. the $50 tar on every hotel
keeper: the taxes on merchants, saloons,
bowling alleys and the like make up an e.
norlnous sum in the aggregate. These are
collected down in the counties; they first 20
into the county treasurer's hands and from
there pass TO the State.
Of In
islature a bill providing many tax reforms,
including this one, passed House and Sen
ate.
Through the blunder or crime of some one
this act, expressing the will of the people of
PENNSYLVANIA, was defeated. 1t never re-
crived the signature of the president of the
Senate. The trick of lobby thief, the
blunder OF some clerk or messenger in the
pay of the corporations or some other neg
iect defeated the bill and thus the money
that should have gone TO the counties and
which would have helped to pay their cX-
peuses now flows on rs before TO the State
treasury where il is not needed. Were this
money left where there is need of it, TO pay
the expenses Of courts, county institutions,
roads bridges, &c, the county tax in every
part OF the commonwealth could be inaterlr
ally reduced. The counties and cities OF
Pennsylvania which now mostly carry
such heavy loads of taxation could have re
duced their rate from ten to thirty per cent.
All the money collected In license taxes
on stores, on eating houses, on taverns, on
liduor stores, on brewers, on billiard sa-
looms and bowling alleys, on peddlers, &c,
goes out of the county into the state treas
ury where it is not needed.
SUPPOSE IT WERE TO 60 UNTO THE COUS-
TY TREASURY WHERE 1T IS NEEDED.
That is the object of the new revenue
measures. Let the corporations which pay
no local taxes pay their just share unto the
State treasury +; but let the local licenses go
into the county treasures.
This was the object of the bill which failed
to BECOME a law by some Crooked meanss
An extra session could have been called to
promptly pass 1t. it is now too late The
hahn is done. The counties have lost their
money, the peoples remedy Is 10 febuke the
wrong. Vote out the ring Vote In good
men and true. Put the revenues OF the
state and the management of its financial
affairs into the hands Of men of proved III
tegrity, who are above temptation ana De-
yond suspicion.
One way for the Taxpayers of Pennsyi-
yania to obtain relief-and the most dlrect
way-is TO vote different kind of men into
public Office. A model candidate is pre-
sented for State Treasurer in the nominee OF
the Allentown Convention, Bernard j. Nc
Cram, the Lancaster county farmer.
In him the farmers, mechanics, merchants,
bankers, professional men and yeomen, OF
Pennsylvania, have candidate whom they
can consistently support regardless of all
partisan ties. Far removed, by character
and condition alike, from temptation and
from inclination TO administer the once
with regard to anything but the law of the
land aud the welfare of the people, his adj
ministration Of the state Treasury would be
a triumph of good government and lasting
honor to the COMMONWEALTH